Oar.



No 844,926. PATENTED FEB. 19, 1907.

W. FENTZKE.

OAR.

APPLICATION FILED OOT.17, 1906.

I'iiHiilWi iii A) via a era??? ATENT onrion OAR,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 19, 1907.

Application filed October 17 1906. Serial No. 339,408.

To all III/'IJHH it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM FENTZKE, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Oars, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to oars of the type known as bow-facing oars, and has for its objects to provide a comparatively simple inexpensive device of this character whereby a maximum propelling force will be produced at a minimum expenditure of power, one which permits of the blade being raised or dipped at will during the rowing operation, and one wherein the oar may be readily engaged with or disengaged from the boat, as circrmstances reqii ire.

WVith these and other objects in view the invention comprises the novel features of construction and combination of parts more fully hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan viewof a device embodying the invention, showing the manner of connecting the oar-sections and attaching the oar to a boat. Fig. 2 is an inner side elevation of the device. Fig. 3 is'a vertical transverse section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a bed-plate attached, by means of bolts 2, to the gunwale 3 of the boat and provided with a pair of relatively spaced. vertically-uprising bearing-heads 4 5, having bearing-openings 6 arranged in alinement with the longitudinal center of the bed-plate, there being hinged, as at 7, to the hearing-head 5 a cap-plate 8, provided with an inner ear having a slot 9, while extended vertically through the head is a rotary locking member or key 10, terminating at its upper end in an engaging portion or head 1 1, adapted for entrance through the slot 9 and to be turned into engagement with the end of the cap for holding the latter in closed position.

Arranged between the bearing-heads 4, above the plate 1, is a rocking'member or plate 12, having longitudinally-projecting trunnioiis 13 journaled in the openings 6, there being provided at one end of the locking-plate an outwardly-projecting bearing portion or head 14 and at the other end of the plate an inwardly-projecting bearing head 15, while formed vertically through said head are bearing-openings 16 17.

The oar comprises, in accordance with the invention, an outer blade-carrying section 18 and an inrer handle portion or section 19, of which the former is fitted in the annular head 20 of a pivoting member or bolt 21, extended through the opeiiittg 16 of the bearing-head 14, while the section 19 is fitted in an annular bearing-head 22, provided on a vertical pivoting member or bolt 23, journaled in the bearing-opening 17 The ends of the oarsectiors 18 19 are terminally engaged, respectively, with annular bearing-heads 24 25 formed on the sections 26 of a coupling member in the .r! ature of a toggle-lever having the in ner meeting ends of its sections pivotally connected by a vertical pifitle or bolt 27.

In practice during operation of the oar the blade-section 18 will swing back and forth on the vertical pivot 21., while the handlesection will swing in like manner on the vertical pivot 23, the oar as a whole being adapted to rock with the plate 12 on the trunnions 13 as an axis for dipping the oar into or raising it from the water. The operator while rowing faces toward the bow of the boat and manipulates the handle-section 19 in the usual manner, the blade-section being, however, reversed in its movements, owing to its peculiar connection with the section 19. When the section 19 is drawn rearwardly toward the operator, the outer end of the blade-section is swung forwardly to dipping position and entered into the water by rocking the member 12, after which the in ner end of the handle 19 is pushed forwardly away from the operator, thereby acting through the coupling 26 to move the blade of the oar rearwardly through the water in a direction for propelling the boat. In mounting the oar in position for use the journal 13 at the rear end of the casting 12 is entered into the bearing-openings 6 of head 4 and the forward journal 13 seated in the bearing opening of the head. 5, it being understood that in .the latter operation the key 10 is rotated to release the cap 8, which is thrown backward on its pivot 7 until after the journal has been properly seated, whereupon the cap is again swung to closed position and locked by means of the key 10.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- In a device of the class described, a baseplate having spaced bearing-heads provided with bearing-openings, a rocking plate l1aving trunnions journaled in said openings, and tions having their meeting ends pivotally Io provided with reversely-extended bearingconnected.

ears disposed respectively adjacent the oppo- In testimony whereof I afliX my signature site ends of the rocking plate, vertical'pivotin presence of two Witnesses.

ing members journaled in said ears, a pair of oar-sections engaged respectively with said W ILLIAM FENrZKE pivoting members, and a coupling member Witnesses: connecting the ends of the oar-sections, said ROB. SOHWARZ,

coupling member comprising a pair of sec- 1 P. LIENECK. 

